Friday, September 9, 2016

Our focus as educators is making sure all students have the opportunity for the great education that they deserve—whether they live in a small town in the Midwest, or on a huge military base in Korea.

Yes, we’ve got members on military bases, too. And they belong to the Federal Education Association, which represents teachers, paraeducators and education support professionals in Department of Defense schools around the world.

These professionals work with “military-connected” students: the children of active-duty military members, DoD civilians and military contractors. They are on bases in Europe, the Pacific, Guam and Cuba, as well as 13 military bases within the continental United States.

FEA has three regions: FEA Stateside, with members in eight states and Guam; FEA Pacific, with members in Japan, Okinawa and South Korea; and FEA Europe, with members in Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Cuba.

I’ll be traveling to England this month and joining FEA leaders and activists for their Association Day, which coincides with FEA’s 60th anniversary.

FEA members hold the same responsibilities that NEA members across the nation have. Except, they must deal with the quirks and obstacles that come with being employees of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). These challenges bring to mind that very old line about Ginger Rogers: She had to do everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.